The present invention generally relates to a conveyor belt for a high temperature furnace. More specifically, the present invention relates to a conveyor belt that is coated with a thermal barrier to reduce the amount of thermal energy absorbed by the conveyor belt.
In a typical CAB brazing furnace, a metal conveyor belt is typically used to transport the parts being brazed through the furnace. Many different types of metallic conveyor belts exist and are typically made up of links that are interconnected thereby forming a flexible mesh configuration. The conveyor belt extends around and is supported on a plurality of rollers, at least one of which is driven by some type of motor. The driven roller engages the conveyor belt to move the conveyor belt over the rollers. Since the interior of the brazing furnace is extremely hot, the metal conveyor belt is heated up along with the parts riding on it, as the conveyor belt move through the interior of the furnace. At the end of the furnace, the conveyor belt extends beyond the heated interior to bring the parts out of the furnace for unloading. The conveyor belt then travels around the rollers, under the furnace, and back to the front end of the furnace.
When a particular section of the conveyor belt leaves the interior of the furnace, the conveyor belt cools down, thereby transferring the thermal energy that was absorbed within the furnace to the atmosphere. This is wasted energy. Additionally, when the conveyor belt is heated and cooled, the conveyor belt experiences cyclic thermal expansion and contraction. The repetitive expansion and contraction of the conveyor belt causes the conveyor belt to fatigue and results in pre-mature catastrophic failure of the conveyor belt.
For the reasons stated above, there is a need for a conveyor belt having a thermal coating to reduce the amount of thermal energy absorbed by the conveyor belt as the conveyor belt travels through a high temperature furnace.